Two movies about kids

Natalie Portman (nursing the bloody nose her father gave her): "Is life always this hard, or is it just when you're a kid?" Jean Reno (passing her a handkerchief): "Always like this"--The Professional

Today I saw two movies, something I don't usually do but today was the only convenient time for both.  In the afternoon I saw Wolfgang Petersen's The Neverending Story (for the second time) at the Royal, where I haven't been for years!  I first saw it thirty years ago in its original release, and I'm glad I did so before reading Michael Ende's book:  the book was so wonderful that the movie would probably have suffered in comparison.  As it is, it's a handsome, skilful adaptation, though the bit at the end where Bastian, flying the luckdragon, uses it to buzz the bullies who were chasing him at the beginning was particularly cheesy.  The early scene where Atreyu's pony drowns in the Swamp of Despair (echoes of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress!) is unusually honest for the juvenile genre, both in the book and in the movie.

In the evening I saw Luc Besson's The Professional, for at least the third time, at the Event Screen where they were showing it as part of a popular-demand series. (The series' previous film was V for Vendetta:  there must be a lot of Natalie Portman fans out there.) The first time I saw it was at the Euclid cinema 19 years ago--I also saw Heavenly Creatures there--and I think that's the same place that became the Royal.

The Professional is the one where New York moppet Natalie Portman survives her whole family's murder by crooked drug cop Gary Oldman and gets adopted by immigrant hit man Jean Reno, then insists on becoming his apprentice!  I have to admit it's a guilty pleasure for me:  the script is often in dubious taste and doesn't always make sense. (Several weeks after the murders the crime scene is still undisturbed, police "Do not enter" ribbons and all!) Oldman chews, digests and regurgitates the scenery, though his overacting is kinda fun. ("Bring everyone." "Everyone?" "EV-E-RY-ONE!!!")

On the other hand, Reno is the coolest of the cool. (As the spy agency boss in Besson's La Femme Nikita, I think he was the real reason for the movie's success.) The exchange I quoted above is also remarkably honest:  no "It gets better" nonsense from this guy!